Shadow and Betrayal
- Publication
- October 2007
About the Book
An omnibus of novels.
- A Shadow in Summer (2006)
- A Betrayal in Winter (2007)
In a remote mountain academy, the politically expendable younger sons of the Great Houses study for an extraordinary task. Most will fail, some will die, but the reward for the dedicated few is great: mastery of the andat, and the rank of Poet. Thanks to these men – part sorcerers, part scholars – the great city-states of the Khaiem enjoy wealth and power beyond measure, and the greatest of them all is Saraykeht: glittering jewel of the Summer Cities.
There are those in
the world, however, who envy such wealth. There are great riches to be
had in the Summer and Winter Cities, and only the threat of the andat unleashed holds the enemies of the Khaiem in check. But there is more to conquest than siege engines and armies. Slowly, carefully, strategies are being set in place, plans that could lead to the fall of the Khaiem – or to horrors unimaginable.
Conflict is brewing in the world. Alliances will be broken and friends betrayed. The lowly will be raised up, the mighty will fall and innocents will be slaughtered. And two men, bound to each other by an act of kindness and an act of brutality, may be all that stands between the civilised world and war. War and something worse.
Victory will depend on bravery, good fortune and who is willing to pay the long price...
"A poignant human tale of power, heartbreak and betrayal" – George R. R. Martin
